For more than 25 years, Randy has guided clients in selecting, clearing, registering, maintaining and defending trademarks. Randy acts as a trusted IP advisor to clients at all stages of the trademark life cycle, and is a North Carolina Bar Board Certified Trademark Specialist.
Randy specializes in helping companies manage large trademark portfolios. His clients include many well-known consumer brands with trademarks that are instantly recognizable around the globe. In addition to his trademark practice, Randy assists clients with advertising issues, domain name disputes, copyright questions and trademark licensing matters.
Randy has significant experience with IP transactions in a wide variety of contexts, such as IT agreements, M&A deals, IP licensing programs, bankruptcy, and technology acquisitions.
Randy is an active member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and has served on a number of INTA committees, including the editorial board of The Trademark Reporter. He has been included in the WTR 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals.
Randy’s clients include companies in the financial services, banking, retail, textile, automotive care, sporting goods, food and beverage, dietary supplements, energy and computer software industries.
Publications
- Gatekeeping and the Federal Register, 41 Administrative Law Review 533, (1989)
- Humor, Defamation and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress: The Potential Predicament for Private Figure Plaintiffs, 31 William and Mary Law Review 701 (1990)
Professional Activities
- North Carolina Board Certified Trademark Specialist
- WTR 1000 The World's Leading Trademark Professionals (2012-2016)
- Member of the International Trademark Association (INTA). Former member of INTA's Emerging Issues Committee. Former member of the Board of Editors for The Trademark Reporter
Honors and Awards
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings) in the fields of Copyright Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Trade Secrets Law, Trademark Law, 2014 – Present
- Received the Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year" Award in the field of Copyright Law (Triad), 2022
- World Trademark Review 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, 2020 – 2022
- Recognized in Business North Carolina magazine’s Legal Elite, Intellectual Property, 2021
Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Manage worldwide portfolio for large financial services company.
- Oversaw global rebranding project for international food company.
- Worked with major apparel company to manage collegiate licensing program.
- Handled hundreds of matters before the United States Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
- Worked to obtain multi-million dollar judgment for trademark owner in infringement litigation involving bakery products.
